Free Chapters

The first three chapters of this ONLINE MANUAL are accessible to all visitors at any time. The remaining 18 chapters are limited to those who have purchased a set of plans which contain a USER NAME and a password allowing them onto the site.

As with all boats, there just has to be a good story or two which needs to be told

The Ontario Whitehall
has two histories-- the first being that of the historic group of boats
generally called Whitehalls and the latter story that of a customer request to
us in 1994.

Inasmuch as WHITEHALLS
can often be recognized by plumb stems, rounded bilges and a "champagne glass" shaped transom, the techniques of their construction represent a significant
defining feature of these boats. For those who would want more detailed historic
information, please consider reading BUILDING CLASSIC SMALL CRAFT Vol. #1 by
John Gardner and published by the International Marine Publishing Company in
Camden Maine. In particular, you will find Chapter 21 Pp. 194-215 the section to
read.

One distinguishing
feature which Gardner points out is that Whitehalls were not ship's boats.
Rather, they were creatures of the harbour and nearby shoreline. In their time,
they were a water taxi, delivery vehicle and general purpose craft. Gardner's
description of the connection between Whitehalls and the world's oldest
profession makes for interesting reading!

Whitehalls possessed
exceptional rowing characteristics and, with the addition of a small sprit sail,
they proved to be remarkably flexible in their environment.

The Canadian Canoes
connection with these boats began with a photograph taken by a customer while on
a holiday on the Atlantic Coast. His family owns an island in Georgian Bay which
is part of the Great Lakes in the province of Ontario. Over the years, the
family has collected a variety of canoes, kayaks, and boats to be rowed, sailed
and driven by motors.

The boat in the photo
turned out to be a Whitehall and its appealing shape and flowing lines had
captivated his imagination. We were approached because he felt this boat would
be a unique part of the collection of watercraft owned by the family. However,
he wanted the boat to be of a lightweight woodstrip-epoxy construction to keep
maintenance down and make the boat last longer than if only wood plank over
frame construction.

It took us some months to
track down information but the people at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut were the
source of information we needed. With a set of drawings and table of offsets in
hand, we approached Ted Moores to help
with the project. Some readers will know Ted as the author of
CANOECRAFT and
KAYAKCRAFT as well as an exceptional builder and regular course
leader at WoodenBoat School. By the end of March 1994, we had the necessary set
of drawings specific to woodstrip-epoxy construction. By mid summer of that
year, we had the first Ontario Whitehall completed and launched. It is still on
Georgian Bay as part of the family fleet of interesting and functioning boats.

SINCE 1994, we have built
another ten of these boats-some were built specifically for a customer while
others were built by customers in our workshop as part of our unique BUILD WITH
US program.

The craft started in 2004 was to be
special in that we would build the hull structure as part of the Cottage Life
Show (a Toronto area tradition focused on products and services for the cottage
owner). This was the 11th time we had been at the show doing a
building demonstration.

At this event, we met
dozens of people who expressed great interest in building a rowing craft; indeed, many had already built a canoe or kayak following the instructions in Canoecraft
or Kayakcraft.

Although many asked about
purchasing plans so they could build at home, the reality was that our plans
from 1994 were not of a good enough quality to sell to anyone. So, we turned to
Steve Killing who has done the very accurate drawings for many
of the woodstrip-epoxy canoes, kayaks and motor craft which we produce. Steve is
well known for his work with sailing craft and his text: Explaining Yacht
Design.

We now have our PROFESSIONAL plans, done up on six sheets each
measuring 24" x 36".

It would be quite an
accomplishment for a new builder to be able to construct an Ontario Whitehall
based solely on six plans sheets. We know that a Construction Guide of some sort
would be most important. It takes a l-o-n-g time to author and print such a
document.

HOW DOES THIS WORK ?

The ONLINE MANUAL is a
section of the Canadian Canoes website and is password protected.

When
customers purchase a set of plans (the 6 sheets mentioned earlier), they will
find a PLANS NUMBER at the bottom right corner
of the top sheet.

Next,
customers will send an email to us (ron@canadiancanoes.com)
with their name, email address or phone contact and the plans number.

By
return email or phone call, we will issue a PASSWORD necessary to get access to
the ONLINE MANUAL.

It's that simple.

Inside this e-book,
customers will find a Table of Contents
which will link them

to the three SECTIONS and the appropriate CHAPTERS within each.

HOW DOES ONE GET STARTED ?

Contact Ron Frenette at
Canadian Canoes by phone (416) 543-2760 or by email
ron@canadiancanoes.com and order
your set of plans.

They will be shipped by Canada Post or by UPS (your choice) in a cardboard tube; the
shipping price will vary with location.

The price for the six
sheet set is $145.00 Canadian Funds.

Shortly after, you will
be hooked up to the rest of the ONLINE MANUAL and you will be building your own
Ontario Whitehall.